Challenges In Modern Athletics | Geno Auriemma & Brett Ledbetter

[@gerryfisher5259]

God, that was phenomenal. I've been a fan and watched interviews with Auriemma for 2+ decades, and I've never been moved like I have listening to this one. I think part of it is that I identified with being over 60 years old, having accomplished a lot of what I set out to do (nothing famous, nothing on the level of Auriemma and UConn women), wondering "what now?! what's my motivation for keeping going?! who am I going to be once I retire, given how much emphasis I've placed on my work? Can I get back some of the discipline and drive that have fallen by the wayside?" This interview is going to stay with me for a long, long, long time.

[@northerniggy8261]

I watch/listen to Coach Geno to see what is on the other side of the mountain, one he has successfully climbed more often and more consistently that almost anyone in sports as a head coach. In that way, Coach Geno helps me with perspective, as I don't have any delusions of reaching a fraction of his achievements in my humble volunteer community coaching teams. There are a lot of paths you can take, techniques you can use as a coach. How you interact with players, parents, officials, staff, leagues will vary significantly from coach to coach. What Coach Geno openly talks about is where you would end up if you, as a coach, win almost every game, pretty much all the accolades/awards, and become a living legend. And were you end up is... still trying to pass on your wisdom to the next generations. Coaches, at their highest level, are wise mentors to the next generation(s). Any deviation from that end-goal looks like a dead-end path. Accrue wisdom, learn how to pass it along, and keep passing it along for as long as you can effectively. I started coaching a bit later in life, so I try to catch up by listening to older, wiser, coaches, like Coach Geno. I won't ever be like him, nor do I try to be like him, but I do try to incorporate what I can of his wisdom so I pass along the best I can to the players I coach. Some of my players will coach one day, and I would be honored if I gave them a tiny bit of wisdom they use to pass to their players. In that way, I don't grow weary of coaching, dealing with parents/officials/leagues and young inexperienced players. I get perspective from people like Coach Geno, and I carry on, in my humble, limited, error-prone but honest attempt to be a good coach and mentor.

[@gerryfisher5259]

They touched on this a little bit, but I wish they'd given it more time in the interview: Of what value is this approach to someone who will not be famous and not make tons of money? I deeply, deeply do believe that a lot of what I learned from high school and corporate-league basketball and other sports has helped me tremendously with life skills. I work as a mental health therapist, and I'd like to believe that my experiences as someone who played sports and appreciate a team approach, as an Eagle Scout, as a near straight-A student, as a former English Major, and as a gay man who came out and, as best I could, lived a genuine life (for more info, see Will Smith's comments about dropping his "character" and living more genuinely as "yourself") all contribute to having a deeply satisfying, rewarding, healthy life. I can't help but to think that Geno's players who never went to the NBA are using the approaches he taught them in different professions and in life in general. I can't help but to believe that the kinds of moral and principled pivots of women like Maya Moore (cutting her illustrious career short to help black people inappropriately incarcerated) and Rene Montgomery (advocating for Black Lives Matter and moving into team ownership) have been informed by the "work hard, show up every day, maximize your potential, do the right thing even when it's hard and you don't feel like it" approach at UConn. In this same way, what coaches teach on a high school and community college level so totally *matters* in exactly the same way.

[@Mike-p4i7n]

Geno always the best,thank you

[@williamstensoniii2025]

I am sorry for the first person who commented here, but those comments are completely rude and ignorant This man is one of the greatest coaches to ever step on any Court in any sport, specifically basketball but this guy could go to any other sport and be successful as well If you don't see in here that by the way he's talkin and his track history then you don't know what you're talking about.

[@jessier.4237]

This was amazing! Always love hearing Geno speak. I played D1 ball years ago against him/UConn and I am glad to be a little piece of his/their history.

[@thewealthofnations4827]

What was different about playing against Uconn?

[@timdillontablet3551]

Yes... I think what motivate's this man... is there is one more or one other person or team mate or Girl who he can make a difference in her life

[@chrispaul7849]

so many of these guys are getting exposed now, will smith the same.... not referring to Geno, love listening to him, wise, and old school!

[@tonymeinerding7463]

OK Great coach if not the greatest but so down on the players of today.

[@DirectionlessStudent]

Not sure that's really true although he comes off that way at times. His relationship with Paige (despite his jokes about Paige Kardashian) is actually terrific as far as anyone can see -- she gets away with more kidding around at his expense than anyone except the two greats -- Diana and Sue. I think he sets the bar high for his players -- no doubt about that. But I think what he's actually "down on" more these days vs his early years is all the people and trappings around the game. He loves the sport and so he hates the PR, and the advertising, and the bad reporters with terrible questions, and the helicopter parents, etc. You have to remember that a lot of this is new to women's basketball especially in college. Back in the 90s almost no one cared about NCAA Women's hoops, and so you had a very pure sport compared to sports like NCAA Football or the men's game. Now the hype machine has come to the women's game, and while I think he accepts it, he wishes he could have it back to its more pure form. The part where he talks about winning all the time being worse than losing -- that's key to understanding him. The entire country was watching for him to break Wooden's record -- wondering how long the streak could continue. Meanwhile, he was wishing it would end, so he could teach something. Famous quote: "If you're always the smartest guy in the room, that just means you're in the wrong room." Similarly, winning all the time means your players will stop getting better and he knows it. You grow the most when you have to overcome failure. That player growth is more important to him than the records and the praise -- he really does enjoy producing the Dianas, and Sues, and Stewies of the game more than anything else, so when the window dressing gets in his way, he resents it.

[@anthonylocascio6412]

@@DirectionlessStudent absolutely amazing description

[@JH-eg7mq]

It is reverse psychology. He has done the same technique with all his great players! You need to understand and read between the lines. That is why he is one of the best coaches ever!

[@kaptainh5538]

will Smith not the example -Cant control his emotions and his actions

[@maureenlaroche9665]

Brett.. great interview however Jesus would never have demanded from anyone that they walk on water.,.. instead, he empowers people to believe that they can. 🙏🏻

[@sunshinemagicalrainbowunic4004]

Who’s Jesus?

[@davidgrandy4681]

How many players were trapped by a college coach that straight out lied to them. Or were recruited by Charlie who moves down the road and now they're stuck with Fred? When you spoke to the NBA team, did you clear that with all the kids on your team first, the kids who you promised you would be there for them? Major sport college coaches are out for themselves, make hundreds of thousands (or more) of dollars, they move up and down the line to different schools as opportunity arises, and if the kids get caught in the gears, well ... But if the player who sees that they are never going to start for this team looks to explore moving on then somehow this is disloyal, or they aren't the "right" kid? Think Russell Wilson by the way. What about football coaches who recruit and offer 30 positions knowing that they are going to cancel five of them? These kids aren't stupid and the first thing that they should learn is to protect their own asses, because the coach will only do that if it's in the coach's interest.

[@northerniggy8261]

Fair points, however you are saying kids aren't stupid, but even assuming that is mostly true, that does not mean they cannot be fooled out of a good deal into a worse deal. Kids don't have the experience and often don't have the temperament to not get fooled either way.. by either their first choice or their second choice. What Geno is saying, accurately, is that fairly often the 2nd choice is often no better than sticking with your 1st choice, (and perhaps much worse for 25% of kids who don't get picked up). Often the reason players don't get the time they were expecting is because they are not performing at the level they used to (in a much easier high school environment). Self-interest is expected, by everyone, including players, parents, coaches, staff, colleges, etc. However, teams require sacrifice (of your own ego), effort and growth/maturity. These can take a few years to manifest in a young adult, if they ever do. Colleges and coaching staff are supposed to be ideal locations for fostering that growth. Not starting for a year or so may be exactly what it takes for a player to fully grow. Playing time is earned, in practice typically, and usually its a matter of consistent effort and positive team attitude. That said, there are certainly players who do thrive better in different locations, and having the ability to move/change certainly need to be allowed. No different than coaching or staff, its part of the process. Good programs will retain players, bad programs will lose players. Geno certainly has benefited from transfers from other teams to Uconn. Geno's warning is that there is a price to pay sometimes... your decision to move may not turn out better, and that 1st or 2nd year kids may have more difficulty in the move compared to staying. Most college programs (these days) are not trying to fool kids outright.. and those that do face immense public social backlash. Sometimes, often, its the kids themselves that need time to acclimate and adjust (their attitude/ethics) to the harder environment, instead of trying to find a less challenging environment.

[@bettyspivack8067]

You’re saying that about a guy who came to UConn in 1985 when it had never had a winning record, and stayed ever since then, almost 40 years now. He could’ve moved on to bigger and better established schools but he stayed. Show some respect.

[@DirectionlessStudent]

@@northerniggy8261 Well stated. @David Grandy what you're saying is absolutely true and unfortunate, but often not the reason kids enter the transfer portal. Geno has talked about this in other interviews -- what he's saying is if you chose to attend a powerhouse program, you're going to have to fight other really good players for minutes. You won't just walk onto the floor and automatically get 20 a night. Everyone who goes to UCONN does so thinking they must be a great talent -- and they surely were in HS. Now everyone they are competing against for minutes was ALSO a great talent in HS -- UCONN doesn't sign any scrubs. If you want to get minutes ahead of those other great talents, you are going to have to work hard to earn them. Some kids have trouble accepting that and believe they deserve PT. Then they try to transfer when they don't get it, but they don't realize that at this level of a sport, EVERYONE has to work hard to succeed because ALL the competition is really good. Transferring to another school isn't going to make it so you can skip the hard work unless you want to play at a non-competitive school in obscurity.

[@gerryfisher5259]

Ohhhh, *please*. Like someone's not allowed to change jobs after 35+ years of service to one school?!

[@rogermatthews2760]

@@northerniggy8261Or maybe they just aren't going to be able to crack the lineup and they'll get a better chance to learn and play somewhere else. UConn sometimes loses players for that reason, and Geno says, "I hope things go well."

[@rockwihthya3]

Coaches think they are always right, i'm sure he's ruined plenty of kids life. Just think of Bobby Knight - these guys think the end justifies the means.

[@gerryfisher5259]

Name one. This guy is famous for working really hard to find other schools for young women who feel that the UConn program is not for them. In particular, I'm thinking a highly ranked recruit from the New York area who never made it to the first game freshman year and who was deeply homesick. Geno called up a friend and coach of St. Johns, got her a transfer, was nonjudgmental, wished her well, and didn't resent the fact that UConn had to play against intra-conference rival for four years featuring a star player that he had once recruited. He's that kinda guy. I think people see "Philly tough, sarcastic, and blunt," and they fail to see a big heart and a deep, deep desire to further young women's lives and the women's game in general. He ain't perfect (as he himself will tell you), and he's got a *huge* heart.

[@HelloWorld-tn1tl]

Crap